Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 26, 1980 Page: 1 of 6
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TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
* * * * RIO GRANDE * * * *
E R A L
VOL. XXXV
No. 41
June 26,1980
FIFTEEN CENTS
mwr.
Auditor Agrees To Pay Elderly Coordinator
ROTTKN TIES—The problem appeared to be rotten railroad ties and loose
spikes, which caused the rail to give way as this heavy locomotive was maneuvering
from a spur into the main tracks in Rio Grande City Tuesday afternoon. The tracks
are scheduled for abandonment by the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
Starr County Auditor Guadalupe
Villarreal agreed to pay the Elderly
Program Coordinator after he received a
letter signed by the County Attorney and an
Assistant District Attorney.
The Auditor had been withholding making
the May salary payment to Mary H. Gon-
zalez following an accord reached by the
Starr County Commissioners Court on May
30 to investigate possible violation of
nepotism laws.
Mrs. Gonzalez is the wife of Precinct
Four County Commissioner Arnoldo Gon-
zalez.
The letter to the Auditor from Assistant
District Attorney David Almaraz and
County Attorney Alex Gabert states:
"In order to absolve you from any liability
and to release you from any possible con-
sequences respecting the holding of Mary
Gonzalez's monthly pay check, please be
advised and also directed, that pursuant to
Section 8.03, Texas Penal Code, we, the
undersigned public officials, direct your
Office to continue with the payment of
monies to Mary Gonzalez until the receipt of
an Official Attorney-General's opinion
respecting the question whether or not a
possible conflict of interests exists in the
contract between the County and South
Texas Development Council." This letter is
dated June 16, 1980.
It was the third letter received by
Villarreal concerning the matter. He first
received a letter dated June 10 from District
Attorney F.A. Cerda and Gabert, which
states:
"We have discussed the above matter
today, and although our offices have not
been officially advised of the status of this
matter, we anticipate that the Com-
missioner s Court will instruct us to request
an official Attorney General's Opinion on
the question of the continued employment
and salary of Mary Gonzalez as Elderly
Coordinator.
"Pending this official action, we
recommend that the status quo be main-
tained and that Mrs. Gonzalez receive her
regular salary as authorized by the Com-
missioner's Court until such time as we
receive an official opinion from the Attorney
General's Office."
As stated in the first letter, the District
Attorney and the County Attorney had not,
as of June 10, been requested by the Com-
missioner's Court to investigate the matter.
The Court had decided on Friday, May 30, to
ask the Starr County Attorney and the
District Attorney to investigate the matter.
The second letter to the Auditor, dated
June 13, is from the County Attorney.
Gabert states in that letter:
"This office today contacted Mr. Walter
Davis of the States and Counties Division,
Attorney-General's Office respecting the
holding of Mary Gonzalez's paycheck. You
may recall that this office, independently
but in agreement with the District At-
torney's Office, recommended that Mary be
paid during the status quo and subject to the
forthcoming official Attorney-General's
Opinion. This office differs with Mr Davis'
interpretation of the procedure to be
followed subject to the opinion. The office
believes steadfastly to the presumption that
all acts of a governing body are lawful
unless the contrary is shown by competent
and admissible evidence in a Court of
Jurisdiction. It also believes that a Com-
missioners' Court does not have to justify its
actions. If an act is considered illegal or
unlawful, the District Court serves under its
supervisory power to pass on same...."
The May 30th action of the Com-
missioners' Court stemmed from a letter
written by Precinct Three County Com-
missioner Hector Lozano March 14, 1980 to
Walter D. Davis of the State Attorney
General's office, and the response from
Davis to Ixizano on May 23, 1980.
Lozano had asked Davis whether or not
Commissioner Gonzalez had violated
nepotism laws "By voting on the approval of
a 20 percent increase in salary for his wife
as E)lderly Coordinator...By seconding the
motion and voting for the approval of the
contract...By participating and voting in the
adoption of the 1980 budget that included
improvements in the status of his wife's
employment...By using his position in hiring
workers and authorizing their payment, to
assist his wife in her duties...."
At that time Villarreal announced he
would not make any disbursements in the
Elderly Coordinator's budget until the
matter was cleared "in writing."
Commissioners
Court To Meet
Today
The Starr County Commissioners Court
will meet at 3 p.m. today, Thursday, June
26, 1980, at the Courthouse.
There are five items on the agenda for the
Special Meeting: Pass resolution in regards
to the Garbage Department; matter of
hiring a delinquent tax attorney; approval
of the claim of Imelda Yolanda Salinas;
discuss and take action on the Old Bridge
and Port Facilities; and discuss and take
action on matter of the Starr County Sheriff
Department Deputies.
Public Housing Hearing Friday
A legislative subcommittee will in-
vestigate the state's Condominium Housing
I^aw and Public Housing Authorities at a
June 27 public hearing in Rio Grande City.
The House Business and Industry Sub-
committee on Real Estate - Condominium
Housing Law and Public Housing
Authorities will meet at 9:30 a.m. in the
County Court Room, Starr County Court-
house, at the intersection of 4th Street and
Britton Avenue.
Porciones To Be
Surveyed
The Starr County Commissioners Court
met in Emergency Session on June 17, 1980,
concerning Porciones 60,61, 62,63,64 and 65,
Mier Jurisdiction.
The Court amended an order of May 20,
1980, vvhich directed Special Delinquent Tax
Attornej Mario E. Ramirez not to pursue
the matter of appointing a Receiver for
Porciones 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65.
On a motion by Precinct Two County
Commissioner Amando Pena, and a second
by Precinct Three County Commissioner
Hector I,ozano, the court agreed to direct
Ramirez to continue to seek the ap-
pointment of a Receiver, and to execute an
oil and gas lease with respect to the men-
tioned Porciones, to secure funds for the
surveying of those lands.
All members of the Court present voted in
favor of the motion. Precinct One Com-
missioner Jose Maria Alvarez Sr. was
absent.
That was the only item on the agenda for
the Emergency meeting.
According to County Clerk Jose Hinojosa.
another meeting of the Court had been
called for June 18, but that meeting did not
materialize since due to lack of a quorum.
"This hearing is for the purpose of ob-
taining direct input by those individuals or
organizations affected by the current
condominium housing law," said Sub-
committee Chairman Robert Bush, D-
Sherman.
Bush continued, "We are also interested
in taking a look at the structure and ac-
countability of the public housing
authorities around the state."
Bush said that the advent and growth of
the condominium market has brought about
many changes and problems unforeseen by
the old condominium statutes.
The study is considering the following
points: It The Basic Code and whether
its language and provisions are still
relevant under present conditions. 2) The
question of building standards for condos,
especially those which have been converted
from apartments; fire safety is the main
concern here. 3) The issue of "due process"
for apartment renters notified by the
owners that the units will be converted to
condos.
"In Texas, many public housing
authorities are performing very well and
seem to meet the objectives of the
program," Bush continued. "We want to
find out, why a few public housing
authorities are having problems while
operating under the same set of rules that
all authorities do," Bush said.
Other members of the Subcommittee are
Doug McLeod, D-Galveston, Ernestine
Glossbrenner, D-Alice, Henry Allee, D-
Houston, Ron Waters, D-Houston, El Franco
Lee, D-Houston, and Buzz Robnett, R-
Lubbock.
Food Stamp Increases Dropped
Food stamp recipients will
get only one cost-of-food
increase in the next year
under a regulation issued
June 13 by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Assistant Secretary Carol
Tucker Foreman said the
food stamp benefit increase
usually given in July will not
be given this year. USDA
will adjust food stamp
benefits and deductions to
account for increases in the
Consumer Price Index only
once a year, in January,
instead of making semi-
annual updates in January
and July, Foreman said.
"This is one of a number of
program-tightening meas-
ures proposed by the
Administration and ap-
proved by Congress last
month," Foreman said. "It
will save $133 million in this
fiscal year and $300 million
in fiscal year 1981, which will
help to meet the increased
cost of the food stamp
program caused by
unemployment and in-
flation."
Also, under the regulations
USDA will continue to adjust
the food stamp eligibility
limits each year on July 1,
but the increase will be
substantially less than under
previous law, in accordance
with another provision
recently adopted by
Congress, Foreman said
On July 1 the monthly net
income limits which poor
families must meet to
qualify for food stamps will
rise from $596 to $621 for a
family of four. The new
maximum net monthly in-
come for the continental
United States, Guam, Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands
for households of various
sizes will be: One-person
household-$316; Two-person
household--$418; Three-
person household--$520;
Four-person household--
$621; Five-person household-
-$723; Six-person household-
$825; Seven-person
household-$926; and Eight-
person household-$1028.
For each additional
member over eight, add $102
~ . o.-.i
LOCOMOTIVE SLIPS—Missouri Pacific workmen
were getting ready to head back home toward the
Valley on this locomotive but they didn't make it. The
heavy engine slipped off its tracks at the entrance to
the Starr Produce shed. The rail on the right gave way
to the many tons of weight of the engine, and the large
iron wheels slipped off. The incident occurred late
Tuesda) afternoon.
Falcon Hts.Motors
GEN. AUTO P. € PA t B
PAIN 'BODYWORK
WINDSTORM DAMAGE—Manuel Garcia was sitting in his office at Falcon
Heights Motors when he heard a loud rumble, like a train coming, "or many big
trucks", he looked out the East window, saw a large cloud of dust, and the next instant
the roof of lus garage was gone, "like a piece of paper." The "remolino" (wind-
storm i hit at about 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, during a clear, cloudless and hot
day. No injuries were reported.
Pediatric Heart Clinic Saving Lives Here
By TisKH Peterson
On May 12, 1980, a baby boy was born to
Erasmo and Jesusa Ruiz of Starr County.
Alvaro was bom with a very serious heart
defect. According to Dr. James Simpson,
M.D., director of Pediatric Cardiology at
Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus
Christi, most children born with total
anomolous pulmonary veinous return below
the diaphragm get sick and die within the
first few days of their lives, but such is not
the case with Alvaro.
Dr. Simpson conducts clinics for children
with heart problems all over South Texas.
He comes to Starr County Memorial
Hospital every other month. Clinics are also
conducted at Zapata, Hebbronville, Mer-
cedes, Laredo, Victoria, Cuero, and Port
t^avaca. He is assisted by Pediatric Nurse
Practitioner Viola Ramirez of Pharr, where
clinics are also held twice monthly.
Children from throughout the Valley are
often seen at the Pharr clinic as well as at
the one nearer their homes.
The clinics are free to the patients, made
possible by funding from private donations
and the Texas State Public Health Depart-
ment.
Many children have been served and
saved during the ten years that Dr Simpson
has been conducting the clinics in Starr
County. Dr. Simpson credits the success of
the clinics to the close relationship between
the doctors here and those at Driscoll
Children's Hospital that can meet the
special needs of children with heart
problems.
Dr. Simpson feels that going in to the
small communities to conduct the clinics is
very important and has proved worthwhile.
The local doctors detect heart murmurs or
other irregularities on x-rays or during
examinations. They may then refer these
children to the doctors at DCH if the need for
surgery or special treatment exists.
As in the case of Alvaro Ruiz, the doctors
here noticed his problems and when he was
three days old he underwent surgery at DCH
to correct it. In total anomolous pulmonary
veinous return below the diaphragm
patients, the veins which usually go from the
lungs to the left atrium of the heart (the top
chamber on the left) instead to the abdoman
into the veins of the liver.
Following his surgery by Dr. Duff at DCH,
the child, whose chances ordinarily would
have been almost nil are now "fantastic,"
according to Dr. Simpson.
Dr. Simpson checked the infant at his
clinic here last week and will see him and
many others again at his Pharr Clinic.
Alvaro had gained eigHt ounces at his
checkup Wednesday and was looking and
doing just great as Dr. Simpson and Viola
checked him over with proud parents, Mr.
and Mrs. Erasmo Ruiz, looking on.
Dr. Simpson, who trained in Houston and
at the University of California, says the
majority of these babies used to die but now
with early recognition and early treatment,
plus the advantage of new techniques such
as hypothermia to cool down the body
temperature and stop the heart so it may be
opened up for surgery, many babies are
making it. He says, "I'm overjoyed to see a
baby like this survive. A lot of credit goes to
the local community and to the doctors for
their awareness and help.
Dr.Simpson K\nmine« Ruiz liifnni
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Silva, Marcelo. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 41, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 26, 1980, newspaper, June 26, 1980; Rio Grande City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194773/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.